


Orpheus Descending

by glorifiedscapegoat



Category: No. 6 (Anime & Manga), No. 6 - All Media Types, No. 6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), M/M, Medieval AU, Mild fantasy AU, Resurrection, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:27:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26127232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glorifiedscapegoat/pseuds/glorifiedscapegoat
Summary: Inspired by the myth of Orpheus & Eurydice. | When an unfortunate tragedy strikes, Nezumi ventures out to try and rescue the boy he loves, no matter the cost.
Relationships: Nezumi/Shion (No. 6)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! To those of you who read the beginning notes, I wish you an excellent day and hope you are all doing well amidst the chaos and uncertainty circulating lately. I hope you're all staying safe and healthy. This time is scary and full of anxiety, but together, we're going to make it through it.
> 
> So, while we're all stuck in quarantine and operating out of our homes, why not have some fic?
> 
> Before we continue, I just wanted to take a quick moment and explain why I felt the need to "spoil" the fact that the character death in this fic is temporary, and that the story has a happy ending. While I understand that some people might not be big fans of spoilers, I feel that people should be informed what they are getting into. What might not be upsetting to someone might be world-ending for someone else. Knowing what to expect, at least in a small sense, can allow someone to make an informed decision.
> 
> Someone might like my writing, but not be interested in reading any form of character death, temporary or no. I don't hold this against anyone. And as far as "spoilers" go, I didn't say who dies, how it happens, or how they come back. Those things are all left up to speculation, and you'll just have to read to find out! :3
> 
> Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I hope those of you who would like to read this fic enjoy it! I put a lot of hard work into it, and I hope it's an enjoyable read!

“Come _on_ , Nezumi! Hurry up!”

Nezumi watched Shion sprint down the trail. Twigs snapped beneath the soles of his lightweight boots as he hurried toward the large, dark blue lake situated at the base of the hill, surrounded by a thin beach of soft, white sand. Large trees with fat mahogany trunks sat on the other side of the lake, forming a small forest that stretched back as far as the eye could see.

The scent of leaves and late autumn flowers hung in the air as Nezumi trudged his way down the hill. He didn't feel like running―his legs were tired from a long afternoon toiling in the fields yesterday, and even if they hadn't been, he didn't feel like chasing after Shion today. The kid might not have looked it at first glance, but he was _fast_. Nezumi had been mildly impressed by it the first time Shion demanded to race him; Nezumi managed to overtake him and pass him, but he'd had to push himself to stay even a few steps ahead of Shion. It'd been neck-in-neck for a bit, and Nezumi left the encounter sweaty and out of breath.

Nezumi watched the crest of the downward-slanting path curve to the side, leading to the lake. The path had been beaten by both animals and humans who'd walked along the grass, their feet pounding the grass down so far that it didn't grow nearly as tall as the rest. It was a path Nezumi had walked so often he felt completely confident he could navigate it with his eyes closed.

The sapphire lake at the base of the hill was nestled into the dip in the side of the mountain. Most of the villagers avoided it altogether, but Nezumi reveled in the solitude. He and Shion had discovered it when they were thirteen, following on a rumor they'd overheard from a couple of the adults, and they'd been coming to it as often as their busy schedules allowed them.

At long last, the lake rose before him. Nezumi crossed the few steps left on the hill before the sand crunched under his feet. He swiftly unhooked his cloak and let it drop to the grass beneath him. He hadn't dressed for the unusually warm autumn weather; he and Shion had both bundled up in heavy cloaks before setting out that morning, grateful for the day off and eager not to waste a moment of it. The sun that shone above them warmed the earth and no doubt made the lake water unseasonably comfortable. Winter loomed right around the corner, but the brief warm stint gave him hope that this winter wouldn't be a terrible one.

Shion had reached the beach well before Nezumi. He looked over his shoulder and said, " _There_ you are! Took you long enough!"

Nezumi smirked at him, but didn't say anything.

Shion unhooked his own cloak and set it neatly on the ground. He undid the small pouch from over his shoulder, where he'd packed a few pastries and an apple for them to share if they got hungry on their journey. A still-full water-skin joined the pouch on the grass, set aside far enough that Shion wouldn't trod on it when he eventually emerged from the lake to get dressed again.

And that was the main reason they'd come down to the lake―swimming.

In the sweltering summer months, Shion and Nezumi ventured out to the lake as often as they could to wash off the burn of a hard day's work. They spent hours splashing about in the cool water, scrambling onto the beach and wrapping themselves in their cloaks to eat before returning to the water when it grew too warm to be comfortable. The autumn months were crisp and chilly, but the water maintained a bit of warmth from the difficult summer, suitable enough to swim in until the first snowflakes fell from the sky.

"Well, whatever." Shion turned and regarded the lake. Excitement flashed across his features, as it often did as soon as they arrived. He was nothing if not incorrigible. "I'm heading in."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Shion shook his head at the nickname and quickly shucked his boots off, then yanked his shirt over his head. He tossed it carelessly into the grass―thankfully not in the sand, which he seemed to have learned to avoid from the last time they'd been here―and then yanked his trousers down and hurled them into the pile, too. He hurried into the lake before Nezumi had a chance to see all that much of him, and with a deep breath, he dove beneath the surface and vanished.

Nezumi clicked his tongue. Shion was always the first to jump into the lake, heedless to the temperature. He surfaced a moment later, sputtering and pushing his hair out of his face. His hair was thick and collected water droplets quickly; Shion smoothed his hair back, his bangs flattening against his skull and framing his face.

"Are you coming in?" he called over his shoulder.

"Depends," Nezumi called back. "How's the water?"

"Find out for yourself." Shion aimed a splash at him, but Nezumi was too far up on the shore for it to be a viable threat. Shion had gone deep enough that the water brushed against his shoulders. He'd need some pretty impressive arm strength to send a wave far enough to strike Nezumi, but the attempt was adorable.

Nezumi laughed and shrugged off his shirt. He stepped out of his boots and stripped out of his clothes. He undid the tie holding his hair to the back of his skull; it brushed against the nape of his neck and spilled over his shoulders. He'd let it grow just a bit too long over the summer. He'd considered cutting it, but Shion liked curling his fingers in Nezumi's hair and braiding the strands while they relaxed in the morning.

He followed after Shion, toeing the water to test the temperature. It wasn't the warmest it'd ever been, but not miserably cold. He took a deep breath and hurried into the water, plunging beneath the surface as the cool water closed over his head. He came up beside Shion, his hair falling in front of his face. He shoved it back, tucking the strands behind his ears.

The water was deep and dark blue, the sun streaming down around them and warming the tops of their heads. Nezumi closed his eyes and inhaled, breathing in the scent of the lake and the flowers speckled around them.

Shion's skin was just a bit darker than Nezumi's, which was strange because he spent most of his days indoors, slaving over a hot oven or rolling fresh dough in piles of flour while Nezumi worked outside in the fields during the daylight hours. Despite that, Nezumi's skin was moon-pale, even in the middle of the harsh summer months―a trait he'd inherited from his Maoese parents, along with his ink-dark hair and pale eyes.

Shion's hair was dark, too, but a proper Kronosian pigment. Deep brown with hints of gold and red that caught only in the sunlight. The color of his eyes also matched his hair; filaments of pure gold twinkled in his irises, always wide with excitement and wonder at the world around him.

Nezumi reached out and wound a strand of Shion's wet hair around his index finger. He gave it a gentle tug, and Shion laughed, dunking the lower half of his face just below the surface of the teal water. Shion's hair was soft, even when wet, and it was one of Nezumi's favorite things in the world. He couldn't help running his fingers through it.

Shion pulled his mouth from beneath the water; crystal droplets perched on his lips. "Thank you for coming out with me today." He closed the short distance between them and reached up to caress Nezumi's cheek. "I missed you."

"You saw me yesterday," Nezumi reminded him.

"For ten minutes." Shion brought his other hand up, framing Nezumi's face with his palms. His skin, too, was soft. "You're always so busy."

"Well, it _is_ the busiest time of the year."

Shion clicked his tongue, but didn't argue. Autumn was a critical time of year for the village of Kronos. The unforgiving winter months made it a difficult time to travel. Temperatures dropped to the point where frostbite consumed those foolish enough to venture outside without ample protection. Gathering the harvest, baking bread, drying meat, and distributing fabric were key to surviving the cold season.

The final month of autumn kept both Shion and Nezumi scrambling until the first snowflakes fell. Shion toiled away in the bakery with his mother, making bread loaves and preparing enough ingredients to work through the winter. Nezumi assisted in the fields, gathering every edible crop and distributing them to the proper merchants and handlers. Their work kept them busy from sun-up until sun-down, and there were only fleeting moments during mealtimes or deliveries when they had moments to interact with each other.

"It'll be winter soon," Nezumi reminded him. "Then you'll see more of me than you can stand."

Shion narrowed his eyes. "Never."

Nezumi laughed. In the winter months, Nezumi and his grandmother moved into the bakery with Karan and Shion. Without fieldwork to tend to, Nezumi locked up their cabin, packed their perishable belongings, and hunkered down in the warmth of the bakery to assist as needed. The tight quarters worked well with generating additional heat―and Nezumi appreciated learning how to bake alongside Shion.

He hadn't been particularly good at it as a child—but Nezumi was a decent student, and Shion was an exceptional teacher. He patiently explained the importance of measurements, the best way to tell which ingredients were the freshest, and little tips to add hints of flavor to each pastry.

"Mom put together a recipe for cherry cake," Shion said. He drifted his hand across the surface of the water, the drops slipping across his pale fingertips. "She's still working on it, but it's pretty enjoyable. I'm excited to show you how to do it."

"Hmm." Nezumi reached out into the water and brushed the tips of his fingers against Shion's. Their palms pressed together and their fingers interlocked beneath the surface. "Do you think I'll be any good at it?"

"With your _regular_ skill, certainly not," Shion said, his lips quirking upward at the corners. "But with me as your teacher, I think you'll be decent." He gave Nezumi a sidelong look. "With _lots_ of practice, of course."

" _Ha!"_ Nezumi dunked his head beneath the water and resurfaced less than a foot away from Shion's face. He peered up into those beautiful brown eyes, spotting his reflection within them, and teased, "I'll admit that you're an acceptable teacher, but I have a feeling this winter will be the one where the student surpasses the master."

"Oh, is that right?" Shion swung his other hand through the water, sending a wave crashing toward Nezumi's face.

He sputtered and quickly returned fire. Shion shrieked with laughter, their hands separating. He dove beneath the water to escape the onslaught, and Nezumi watched his sleek form drift beneath the water, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

As soon as Shion's head broke the surface, Nezumi shove his arm through the water and sent a stream right at him. It splashed over Shion's face, but he'd anticipated the strike and turned his head away so he caught it on the cheek and the side of the skull instead of in the eyes and mouth. He laughed and slapped his hands against the water, churning the dark blue liquid and sending a stream of sapphires cascading toward Nezumi. Nezumi laughed and struck back just as hard.

Their battle lasted for a few minutes, until both Shion and Nezumi were too exhausted to continue. The surface of the water trembled in the wake of their destruction, and Shion drifted through the waves and back toward Nezumi. He reached out with both of his hands, and Nezumi lifted his palms to greet him.

Their fingers curled together, and Shion stepped forward. Nezumi had at least a few inches of height on him, but the difference wasn't nearly as noticeable as it'd been when they were younger. The year Nezumi realized he'd finally grown an inch taller than Shion, he'd teased the other boy mercilessly about it. Their difference in height was noticeable only to the two of them, but Nezumi brought it up to the point where Shion threatened bodily harm if he continued to bring it up.

And bring it up, Nezumi had—simply for the amusement of seeing Shion dive at him, tackling him beneath the water or knocking him back against the bed and rolling until both of them were breathless from laughter.

"So," Shion said, tipping his head back to stare into Nezumi's eyes. A bead of lake water dripped down the side of his neck, and Nezumi felt an overwhelming urge to lean forward and chase it with his tongue. "I think it's safe to say _I_ won that fight."

"Oh?" Nezumi raised an eyebrow. "I could have sworn I saw you raise your hand in surrender less than a second ago." He reached out and tugged a lock of Shion's hair playfully. "Did I misinterpret that, then?"

"You absolutely did," Shion said with a nod. "I _was_ going to send another wave at your face—but you stopped fighting back, and it's poor sportsmanship to strike an unarmed opponent."

Nezumi huffed and decided that it wasn't worth it to keep arguing. Shion was as stubborn as a mule when he decided he was right about something. "Oh, very well," he chuckled. "I concede. I suppose you'll be wanting a reward now."

"I do."

"And what is it His Majesty demands from me?"

Shion tossed his head back, the ends of his hair glittering gold in the sunlight. "Hmmm... I suppose I'll settle for a kiss."

"You'll _settle?"_

"Are you going to kiss me or not?"

Nezumi stared down at him. Shion stood in the water, hidden beneath the surface from the base of his shoulders. He looked otherworldly in the sunlight, like one of the fae creatures that dwelled in the waters and handed holy swords to those worthy of them. Nezumi couldn't help but be enamored with him, seeing things that the other boys and girls in their village were blind to. Shion might have seemed a bit strange and too happy for his own good, too intuitive and far too focused on making others happy—but Nezumi saw him for what he truly was. A kind boy with a heart of fire, who saw the best in the world and could put the darkness in its place. A stubborn, no-nonsense individual who met Nezumi where he was and guided him toward the path of being a stronger person.

"I suppose I can do that," Nezumi murmured, moving forward until he was less than an inch away from Shion's face. He felt the cool brush of Shion's breath against his lips, and delighted in the knowledge that he would get to have this same privilege for the rest of the winter months.

But for now, they had this moment, so Nezumi leaned forward, put his arms around Shion's waist, pulled him close, and kissed him.

**⁂**

Eventually it grew a bit too cold to keep swimming, so they emerged from the lake and piled themselves on the nearby grass. Hunger hadn't managed to grip them yet, so they lay side-by-side, pulling Shion's cloak beneath them and Nezumi's cloak over them and waiting for the air and the lingering warmth to dry them. Some autumn days were crisp and borderline miserable, but today, the sun was high and the temperatures were comfortable.

Nezumi didn't worry about someone from the village catching them in an indecent moment. The lake was their place―Shion and Nezumi were the only two people in Kronos who didn't fear the legends of the mermaids that lived just below the surface of the water. The lake was a considerable distance from the village, too, and the water wasn't fit for consumption. Most villagers had no reason to venture out to the silver waters, and those that _did_ often came first thing in the morning.

The lake near Kronos had been their spot for so long, Nezumi couldn't picture what life would be like without it. It'd been a staple in Nezumi's life, as ever-present as the sunrise and the inevitable approach of winter. The autumn months were awash in activity, and there'd been a few times when the weather was far to harsh to warrant a trip to the lake. Cold autumns often brought about even colder winters, and though Nezumi knew how to survive in the cold, he didn't particularly enjoy them.

Even so, winters had become far more tolerable since Nezumi and his grandmother took up Karan's offer to move into her bakery when the cold months struck. Instead of chilled fingers and sleepless nights, Nezumi worked hard in the bakery during daylight hours and spent his nights curled beside Shion, whose warmth was more than enough to ward off the sense of death winter brought along with it.

Shion rested his cheek against Nezumi's shoulder and sighed happily; the edges of his dark hair were sharp and cold. "You know," he mumbled. "I'll miss this in the winter."

"Yeah, I suppose," Nezumi allowed. "But we'll have other things to keep up occupied, so it won't be so bad."

Shion lifted his head and gave Nezumi a stern look.

"I meant _baking_ , you pervert."

Shion huffed a laugh and returned to his position at Nezumi's side.

"Although," Nezumi mused, "there _are_ things of _that_ nature we can do together in the winter." He trailed his fingers lightly down Shion's side, smirking at the delighted shiver that rocked through him in response.

" _Ngh_." Shion hid his face against Nezumi's shoulder; he grasped at Nezumi's forearm, digging his nails into the skin there. "It'll be a bit... difficult with my mom and your grandmother nearby."

Karan's bakery was relatively large by Kronos' standards, but a bit too small to comfortably house four people. The bakery itself consisted of a kitchen and a little dining area, as well as a window with a ledge to accept customers. In the winter months, the window stayed closed unless someone knocked, and then they were let in through the front door to stand inside the warm room while Karan, Shion, Nezumi, and his grandmother put together the order.

In addition to the bakery, Karan's home sported two lofts. One was situated close to the door, and it was this loft that Karan occupied most nights. In the winter months, she shared it with Nezumi's grandmother, her mattress large enough to comfortably accommodate them both. The second loft sat in the far back of the bakery, kept warm by the heat radiating from the oven. Shion claimed that loft, and when Nezumi arrived in the winter, he slept in it with him, huddled together beneath a thin blanket.

Nezumi huffed a laugh. "Wouldn't be the first time we've had to keep quiet."

Shion's eyes shone as he lifted his head and stared down at Nezumi. "Well, we don't have to be quiet _now_."

Nezumi smirked.

On the grass near the lake wasn't the strangest place they'd had sex. The first time they tried, it had been when they were collecting herbs in the woods. Not wanting to get caught in a compromised position, they'd hunkered down next to a tree and moved against each other with all their clothes on. It hadn't worked as well as Nezumi thought it might―once they finished, they'd been forced to strip down at the lake, wash their clothes, and huddle beneath Nezumi's cloak as they waited for the fabric to dry.

This was far from their first time, but each moment was just as magical as that first night. Nezumi wove his fingers in Shion's soft hair and sighed as Shion kissed a path down his jawline, along his throat and down to his collarbone.

Nezumi wasn't used to someone worshiping him. His eyelids fluttered as Shion marked him with his teeth, a soft moan slipping from his throat. Shion was always gentle and attentive with him. He kissed all the way down to Nezumi's hip bone and paused.

Nezumi groaned, frustrated, and nudged Shion's leg with his foot.

Shion laughed against Nezumi's bare skin. Nezumi hissed at the rush that surged through him like an electric current. His head felt muzzy and thick, the world spiraling around him. His hands dug into the grass as he arched his back.

Shion sighed softly. "I love you, Nezumi."

Nezumi's heart seized. The first time Shion had said it, Nezumi's world blacked out. He couldn't remember what had happened between that moment and waking up in Shion's bed, their arms tangled together and their hearts hammering. Shion worried he'd said it too soon, and Nezumi had choked out an anxious laugh and told him it was fine. They'd known each other for years; part of him was surprised Shion hadn't come out and said it sooner.

That had been years ago. Shion said it often now. He accompanied kisses, gentle touches, kind gestures, and other aspects of his interactions with Nezumi with that precious phrase. No matter how often it fell from his lips, it never lost its weight.

And yet, even though Shion continued to say it, Nezumi hadn't been able to repeat them.

Shion moved up, hovering above him. He brushed his fingers along the curve of Nezumi's cheekbone and cupped his cheek. "I don't need you to say it back," he assured, and Nezumi's chest ached at the understanding and warmth in his tone. "I just wanted to tell you."

Nezumi closed his eyes. It was just three words. Three little words that, for some damnable reason, had never been able to make their way past his lips. It hadn't been for lack of trying. Whenever Shion said it, Nezumi tried to force the words to come. He could feel them, dwelling in the back of his throat. He felt them, deep in his heart, and his actions spoke them more surely than his tongue ever could. But forcing them to emerge was like trying to fish without a line; the attempt, foolish that it was, yielded decidedly disappointing results.

"Nezumi?"

He opened his eyes. "What?"

Shion gently placed one of his hands over Nezumi's heart. His palms were warm and soft; through his damp skin, Nezumi could feel his heart thundering. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah," Nezumi said, because he wanted to keep going, and it would give him something else to think about besides his inability to say three little words. Three words that held the weight of the world within them.

Shion smiled at him, and Nezumi's heart fluttered. He closed his eyes, shivering as Shion moved back down, remapping the path from Nezumi's heart to his hips. He groaned as Shion slipped a finger inside him; it stung, only a little, and Nezumi clung to the ache because that meant it was real.

They didn't do much outside in the open―not as much as they would in the security of the loft, where the cool brush of wind couldn't overtake them and the prying eyes of the village couldn't observe―but it was more than enough to leave Nezumi drained and close to sleep. He exhaled hard as a rush of nerves untangled within him, the white stars that'd exploded in front of his vision trickling away and vanishing until all he could see was the beautiful boy laying at his side.

Shion shifted closer to him and rested his head against Nezumi's chest. The ends of his hair were still damp, but Nezumi felt weightless beneath him, the phantom sensation of lust prickling against his skin as the sun drifted around them. It was a feeling he was all too accustomed to; with Shion, there were other feelings beneath it that Nezumi knew were unique to only these special moments. He and Shion had sex to feel good, too, but there was some fundamental otherness to their time together, something in these moments that Nezumi knew he would never find with another person no matter how far he searched.

"I love you," Shion murmured against Nezumi's bare skin.

"I know," Nezumi breathed back.

Shion drew Nezumi close, weaving his fingers gently through Nezumi's hair as he cradled the back of his head. Nezumi exhaled and leaned into the touch. Shion tucked Nezumi against his throat, pressing a faint kiss to his temple. Nezumi nuzzled against him, inhaling the floral scent of his skin, and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interested in some more awesome No.6 stuff and other random nonsense? Then come hang out with me on Tumblr: **https://glorifiedscapegoat.tumblr.com/**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, it is time for another chapter! Hope you all enjoy it! I am currently attempting to distract myself from the stress of trying to apply for online classes, so here I am with another chapter in this fic. I will be working on my others and posting them shortly.

The sky was dark when Shion kissed Nezumi awake.

Nezumi tumbled slowly out of a dream of endless green clearings and trees so tall he couldn't see the tops. Fat beehives sat inside the branches, humming with life and sweet honey. Nezumi could almost taste it on the tip of his tongue as the dream gently slipped away from him, replaced by the sensation of the grass against his cheek and the warmth of Shion's cloak tucked beneath him.

This was another ritual of theirs: Shion waking Nezumi with a kiss on the cheek. He'd done it ever since they were young, before their feelings had transformed from friendship into something different. Nezumi would often doze off at Shion's home, curled up in his bed, rescued from his miserable nightmares by the mere presence of the other boy.

When it was time to head home―either because his grandmother had come knocking on Karan's door to retrieve him, or because she'd let him spend the night on the strict promise that he would return first thing in the morning to assist with house and yard work―Shion would brush a gentle kiss against the sharp curve of Nezumi's cheekbone and murmur, " _Good morning_."

Shion's lips dusted against Nezumi's skin, drawing him from the sweet depths of sleep. Sometime during their nap, Nezumi had rolled over onto his side, his spine lined up against Shion's stomach. Shion's arm lingered across his waist, the beautiful, honeyed scent of his skin infiltrating the pocket of warmth Nezumi's cloak created around their bodies. He exhaled as sleep fluttered away from him, carried away by the soft ruffle of autumn's weakening winds.

"Good morning," Shion murmured in a singsong tone.

"It's nighttime," Nezumi sang back drowsily.

"You know what I meant."

Nezumi slowly eased himself into an upright position; his spine creaked as he sat up, Shion's arm slipping from its position around his waist. Shion's fingers brushed against the flat plane of his stomach before he rolled away from Nezumi and reached out into the grass to find his clothing.

They brushed themselves off as best they could―the sun had dried them properly, and only a tiny bit of sand had clung to the soles of their feet; an impressive feat considering the disaster of their first time―and dressed slowly. Shion pulled his pants and shirt on, glancing over his shoulder as he did so and gave Nezumi a sly smile, nothing too outlandish, but enough to imply the completely impure thoughts fluttering through his mind.

Nezumi dressed quickly, averting his eyes, if only to frustrated Shion and deny the power the boy held over him. At his back, Shion huffed, aggravated that his attempts had failed to fluster Nezumi, as they often did, and dragged his cloak around his shoulders.

The evening was far chillier than the morning, and Nezumi had never been more grateful that his grandmother had convinced him and Shion to drag their heavy cloaks down to the lake even though the sun was out. It was at least an hour's walk back to the village, and the cool wind could come rushing through the branches with a vengeance at any moment.

Shion slipped his hand into Nezumi's and together they trudged their way up the hill and back toward Kronos. Their boots thumped against the beaten grass and loose stones, snapping the branches without fear of alerting any potential predators looming in the area.

The lake was situated far in the opposite direction of Kronos' abundant forests. Nezumi and Shion had never ventured into the forests on the opposite shores of the lake, nor had they lingered too late into the evening, but there had never been creatures they feared would attack them in the shadows. The pathway back to Kronos was distinctly lacking in trees and bushes for predators to hide, and even then, there had never been robbers or highway men in Kronos to be concerned over. The most they'd seen were a few stray deer and a couple of rabbits.

Shion swung their hands back and forth idly between them as they walked through the shadows and headed for home. The moon had begun to creep overhead, a fine speckling of silver stars splashing their way across the purple-blue sky. The moon itself hung in a pale half-circle, casting its beautiful light down on the fields surrounding them and lighting each stalk of grass up as if someone had shattered diamonds and cast them about.

"Do you think it'll be a cold winter?" Shion mused after a moment.

Moonlight clung to the edges of his dark hair. A dusting of pink kissed his nose and his cheeks. He looked otherworldly and beautiful; Nezumi squeezed his hand, unable to believe that someone like him had been given the honor of having someone as wonderful as Shion in his life.

"I don't think so. Autumn's been pretty mild." Nezumi looked up at the sky. "You know what _that_ means."

"Well, at least the gods aren't going to punish us this year. We don't need a repeat of _last_ winter." Shion huddled down into the fleece lining of his cloak. His mother had stitched it together for him last winter, when the temperatures dropped so low that for three long days, no one could step outdoors without their fingers and toes blackening.

Karan worked on the cloak during that time with Nezumi's grandmother's help, and it'd been more than enough to keep the boy warm when the temperatures rose just enough to allow them to safely venture outside. Necessity forced Shion outside to shovel the thick, near-frozen snow off the walkway so customers could reach the window and front door.

Shion didn't mind the task, but he had a distinct hatred for the cold, so receiving a warm cloak had dramatically increased his mood. It'd been as much a gift to Nezumi as anything else; when he was in some of his worse moods, Shion was borderline intolerable. He went silent and refused company, or he sought conflict and snapped back when Nezumi made a snide comment that, under normal circumstances, would make him roll his eyes and laugh.

"Thank the Nine for that," Nezumi muttered. "I don't think I can afford new winter boots." He grimaced at the thought of his winter boots back at his grandmother's hut.

The right sole had a deep hole from years of wear and tear. It hadn't prevented snow and water from leaking in last year when he was helping Shion shovel snow from the walkway, a heavy task which kept them occupied well into the afternoon. He'd had to wrap a warm cloth around his toes and sit by the fire for a few hours to prevent frostbite from claiming most of his foot.

Shion hummed thoughtfully. "Well, Mom and I have a bit saved up from this spring. I'm sure we could use some of it to acquire a new pair of boots for you. Yamase's been thinking of fashioning clothing together out of deer hide. His prices are the best in town, and he told me he'd give me a discount as a _thank-you_ for shoveling his walkway for him when he was sick."

Nezumi clicked his tongue. "You don't have to do that."

"You help us out each winter. It's the _least_ we could do, Nezumi."

Nezumi closed his eyes. "Shion, seriously. Boots can be expensive. Especially winter ones. And even with a discount, a pair of sturdy winter boots are going to cost a fair amount. You don't need to dip into your savings for me."

"Of course I don't _need_ to," Shion said, squaring his shoulders. "But I _want_ to. I'll make a trip to Yamase's shop during my downtime tomorrow afternoon and request a new pair. You and I have the same sized shoes, so I can give him one of my old ones as a model."

It wouldn't do to argue with Shion. Nezumi knew that well enough by now. Once he set his mind to something, he completed the task no matter who opposed him. If he told Nezumi he was going to get him a new pair of boots, then he would go to the ends of the earth to acquire them for him.

He hunkered down into his own cloak. It still smelled like Shion. He hid a small smile and murmured, "Thank you."

Shion squeezed his hand and grinned the whole way back to Kronos.

**⁂**

By the time Shion and Nezumi finally reached Kronos, the moon had risen to the center of the sky.

The lamps in the surrounding huts had died down, only a few candles flickering in the darkness like the eyes of several large creatures. The streets turned from dirt to cobblestone as they reached the heart of the village, and Nezumi made a beeline for Karan's bakery, jutting up in the center of the main district.

Two lanterns glittered in the large windows. The rest of the bakery was dark, and Nezumi knew that Karan had likely gone to bed shortly after the sun set beneath the horizon. She woke early in the morning and spent much of the day on her feet. Without Shion to keep her company, she slipped into bed shortly after dark and let the shadows lull her into a calm tranquility.

She hardly waited up for Shion when he and Nezumi ventured off together. Karan trusted Nezumi with her life, aware that he would do whatever it took to return her son safely to the comfort of the bakery before too long.

"Do you want to stay tonight?" Shion asked, squeezing Nezumi's hand as they walked down the walkway leading up to the front door of the bakery. "It's late."

Nezumi's lips quirked up at the side. "We have a busy day tomorrow, and you and I both know if I stay tonight, we won't get any sleep."

Shion grinned, his face tinted a pale shade of flustered pink. Nezumi's heart swelled at the sight of him, painted by the darkness of the night sky, as lovely as the stars and sometimes just as unreachable.

The bakery rose up in front of them, crooked at the top like a witch's hat. The thatched roof had gathered a few holes over the summer, and Nezumi spent countless hours sweltering beneath the sun while Shion held the ladder for him, patching it together as best he could for the impending winter. He wasn't a tradesman, and his skills were less than Karan and her son deserved, but it was well worth it to see the smile that spread across Shion's face when Nezumi offered to help.

Shion gaze Nezumi's hand a squeeze, pulling him from his memories. "Well, this is me," he said softly, as if to avoid waking his mother. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"We both work tomorrow," Nezumi pointed out.

"Stop by in the morning, then."

"All right."

Shion tipped his head back and pressed a soft kiss to Nezumi's lips. It was far more chaste than some of their kisses, but it left Nezumi no less entranced. His heart stuttered behind his rib cage, heat rising to his face.

"Good night," Shion murmured as he drew back.

He turned without waiting for Nezumi to reply; he fished out the spare key from beneath the mat and inserted it into the bronze lock, flicking his wrist as he twisted it and pressed his palm against the wooden slab to push it open and duck inside.

"Shion."

He went still. He looked over his shoulder, his dark brown eyes glimmering in the silver light. "Yes?"

Nezumi swallowed the lump that rose in his throat.

It shouldn't have been a difficult question to ask. He'd already handled the technical aspects of the request―coming to Karan when Shion went out of the house to the market, a wicker basket tucked beneath his arm. He'd received her permission in the form of a too-tight hug that squeezed all the breath out of his lungs. Karan was a slender slip of a woman, but there was a hidden strength inside her that still surprised Nezumi to this day.

By all accounts it should have been rather simple. He and Shion had been romantically involved since they were old enough to understand what these feelings meant. Both of them were well of age, and nothing about their gender, social status, or economic background would raise red flags among the little town of Kronos.

In the spring, when couples stepped forward before the priest and exchanged their vows before the villagers and the eyes of the old gods, Shion squeezed Nezumi's hand and watched them with wide eyes, a dreamy expression on his face as if he were imagining himself in their position. His kisses those nights were desperate and searching, as if he could draw the question he so desperately wanted to hear from Nezumi's lips if he just tried hard enough.

But the words died on his tongue. Nezumi felt them ball up in his throat, choking the question right out of him. Cold tremors shuddered through him as he realized that nothing had changed for him in all these years. He was too terrified to say three little words that would have meant the world to Shion; it wasn't a surprise that he'd have difficulty saying this, too.

Nezumi shook his head and quickly muttered, "Never mind. I'll see you in the morning."

"Oh… all right."

Nezumi turned and hurried down the walkway.

"I love you."

Nezumi stumbled on one of the stones. Embarrassment spiked through him―he never stumbled―but the warmth behind those words, the whispered kindness in Shion's voice, shot through him like an arrow.

"Yeah," he whispered back. "Me, too."

It wasn't good enough. Nezumi knew it wasn't.

But when he looked back and saw Shion's face, the smile on his lips assured him just how much Shion knew it.

Nezumi hurried down the dark street, walking home with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his trousers. _Stupid_. He couldn't even ask a single question. Self-loathing clung to him like a layer of sweat; no matter how hard he tried to shove it aside, he couldn't ignore the hammering of his heart and the ache in the pit of his stomach.

There was no point in beating himself up over it. After the autumn harvest, he would return to Shion's cabin for the remainder of the winter. There would be plenty of opportunities to work up the courage to ask him the question that burned in the back of his mind. It didn't matter if he hadn't asked tonight.

He and Shion had their whole lives ahead of them.

**⁂**

The first time Nezumi met Shion, they were children.

Toddlers, practically, playing in the streets with their parents keeping a close eye on them, lest an unfortunate accident occur. Though Kronos was a relatively safe village, there were incidents that occurred to those unlucky few who wandered in the wrong place at the wrong time. Carts pulled by horses went too fast across the cobblestones, the riders paying little attention to their surroundings, or parents not keeping a close enough eye on their children to pull them back in time.

On the fateful day the two of them met, Nezumi sat outside his parents' hut, scratching pictures on the cobblestones with a piece of talc his father had brought for him from his travels to the neighboring villages. Shion, who'd been walking the street with his mother, had pulled his hand from Karan's and stumbled over to him, fascinated by the way Nezumi tried to replicate his mother's kind smile or his grandmother's stern eyes strictly from memory. He could do it decently enough if he stared at them while he worked, but he'd wanted to try his hand at it without looking at them for reference.

Shion crouched at his side without a word, jamming a thumb between his lips and watching, transfixed, as Nezumi tried to draw him, too. He wasn't skilled by any means, but the likeness had been uncanny enough for Shion to shriek with delighted laughter at its completion and weep when the morning's harsh rains washed it away.

The first time Nezumi began to _notice_ Shion had been following the night of the fire. A low tremor in the earth had caused a candle to topple over and catch on a bit of fabric hanging from a table in Nezumi's hut. His parents, exhausted from raising a child with as much energy as Nezumi, slept through the blaze until it grew too high for them to escape. Nezumi's grandmother had hauled him away from the flames, as the loft where she slept near Nezumi was situated closer to the front door, but Nezumi could still hear his parents' miserable shrieks as the flames walled them off from escape and consumed them before anyone in the village could hope to intervene.

Nezumi hadn't escaped the blaze without injury. His back, badly burned, had needed to be cleaned with stinging liquid and bandaged with smelly plants to keep the wounds from getting infected. Blinded from pain and the realization that his parents were gone forever, Nezumi had dropped into a state of silence, unmoving as one of the men hauled him to the healer's hut. There was nothing for Nezumi to do except lay sprawled out on his belly in an unfamiliar, uncomfortable bed, unable to escape the gut-wrenching reality that, at seven years old, his parents were dead.

While Nezumi wept in his infirmary bed that night, broken-hearted and miserable, Shion crept through the doors, ducking past the dozing healer and plopping on the floor beside Nezumi. He reached up and laced his fingers through Nezumi's, squeezing as he cried for his loss.

Anger had gripped Nezumi in the midst of it. He'd snapped at Shion, flinging his hand away and shouting until the healer awoke and ushered Shion away. But none of it had deterred Shion. He simply returned the next night, sitting beside Nezumi and consoling him the only way he knew how. He held Nezumi's hand, stroked his fingers, hummed little lullabies to him that Karan had used to soothe _him_ when he was upset, and told Nezumi pointless facts about the finer processes of baking simply to fill the silence between them.

Nezumi grew too exhausted to fight with him anymore and simply lay on the cot, motionless and numb. He didn't care about baking. He didn't care about lullabies. He didn't care about anything.

Except, soon, he came to rely on the other boy's near-constant presence.

When it became reasonable that he could sit up without too much pain, Nezumi allowed Shion to sit on the bed beside him so he wouldn't have to be uncomfortable on the floor. He criticized Shion's humming and made snide comments about his baking knowledge. Shion, for his part, took Nezumi's heat in stride. He fired it back when the need arose, never simply taking Nezumi's jibes without a fight, but his heart was kind and his mind was always set toward making Nezumi laugh.

After the ashes from the fire were cleared away and the remnants of his life before had been brushed into memory, Nezumi and Shion were inseparable.

When Shion busied himself in the bakery with his mother, Nezumi tagged along and snatched muffins and cookies from the trays, laughing as Shion swatted at him with the mixing spoon. When Nezumi went out into the fields to toil away with the farmers, Shion packed him a lunch and handed it to him in front of the other kids, prompting them to chant, "Nezumi's got a boyfriend!" until he chased them into the nearby stream and shoved them into the water.

And finally, when the harsh winter months began to take a toll on Nezumi and his grandmother in their new hut, Shion had suggested to his mother that they could use the extra assistance during the cold months. Karan and Shion had welcomed them into their hut with open arms, giving them a purpose that'd been lost in the wake of the fire.

Shion and Nezumi were happy.

And Nezumi planned to keep it that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interested in some more awesome No.6 stuff and other random nonsense? Then come hang out with me on Tumblr: **https://glorifiedscapegoat.tumblr.com/**


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